


Fire Flakes and Puppet Shows

by Flameo_Hotman



Series: Better Than Hunting AU [2]
Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: And he tells it to Zuko, First Dates, Fluff, Lee Chen has a backstory, M/M, Zhao the Date Ruiner, Zuko is an Awkward Turtleduck, Zuko is catching feels, hand holding
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-26
Updated: 2020-01-26
Packaged: 2021-02-27 09:02:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,318
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22414441
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Flameo_Hotman/pseuds/Flameo_Hotman
Summary: A more in-depth take on the date Zuko and Private Lee Chen go on in Chapter Seven of Better Than Hunting. During this chapter, Lee Chen reveals how he came to serve on The Dragon's Claw as well as reveal his backstory to Zuko. It is pure fluff up until it leads back into the events of the main storyline.
Relationships: Zuko (Avatar)/Original Male Character(s)
Series: Better Than Hunting AU [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1582612
Comments: 7
Kudos: 110





	Fire Flakes and Puppet Shows

Fire Flakes and Puppet Shows

There was a festival happening in the nearby colony town, and against Prince Zuko's better judgment, he had decided to give his men the night off to enjoy the festivities. He was trying to be at least somewhat nicer to them ever since the incident that had come to be known as The Storm amongst the crew of The Dragon's Claw. Lee Chen was especially excited about it, as he had taken the liberty to ask Zuko to go on a date with him at that festival.

“It’s only natural that we go on a date eventually. We are a couple.”

Zuko felt his brain freeze. “What?”

“A couple? Wait… What did you think we were doing?”

“I… I never stopped to think about it,” Zuko answered honestly.

Lee Chen then asked, “Would you like to be my boyfriend?”

“I’ve never even had a girlfriend.”

Lee Chen looked disheartened by Zuko’s words, so the banished prince quickly backtracked and blurted out, “But I’d love to be your boyfriend!”

“Well, I’m glad to hear it, Babe, because I’d like to be yours.”

There was that word again and coupled with a boyfriend? Zuko was blushing and smiling like he was Ty Lee, and Lee Chen kissed him.

Later as they began the trek to the town, Zuko tried to convince himself that this didn't have anything to do with the memories he currently found himself dwelling on. Memories of sneaking out of the palace with his mother, to go to the festival that the commoners were holding in celebration of the harvest. That had been the first time he'd been allowed to try fire flakes. When Ozai had caught Zuko asking the chef if he could have some as a snack, the man had punished him and informed the boy that fire flakes were peasant food and unfit for royal consumption. He'd learned his lesson, but the cook still made sure to sneak him some from time to time. 

Once at the festival he was going to need to find himself a mask, to both further involve himself in the festivities and avoid the suspicion that he, Prince Zuko of the Fire Nation, was on a date with his boyfriend. Boyfriend, wasn’t that a nice word? It meant that someone loved you, and Agni knows Zuko doesn’t have many people who do. So if he and Lee Chen are still a thing by the time he becomes Fire Lord? Well, maybe it's about time a Fire Lord was out and proud.

When they arrived at the town Lee Chen and Zuko separated briefly to buy masks from separate stall, and right as Zuko made to walk over to the stall Lee Chen hadn’t walked up to, a man already wearing a mask rushed up to him and gave him a deep bow and said, "Prince Zuko! It is an honor to have you at our festival! I had no idea that you and your esteemed uncle would be in attendance. My name is Shinzu. Please let me know if there is anything that I can do to make your visit more enjoyable." 

There was something strange and familiar about the man, but he couldn't put a finger about whatever it was, and Zuko wanted to tell the man off and let him be, but this man wasn't Zhao or one of the many soldiers of the Fire Navy that considered his quest to be nothing more than a joke.

So he, keeping as much annoyance as possible out of his voice as he could, and said, "I need to purchase a festival mask. Which stall would you suggest I buy it from?"

Shinzu was quiet for a moment before he straightened up and said sheepishly, "My brother used to be a member of the 41st division. He died in the war a few years ago, but if it wouldn't be imprudent, can I bring you his mask for your use? He used to wear it at this festival, and it would mean a great deal to my family if you do us this honor."

The 41st division… That was the division that he'd gotten himself banished for speaking out of turn, trying to spare their lives…

"It would be my honor Shinzu. I'll wait here, while you go and get your brother's mask." He said with a small bow.

The man seemed to hesitate for a moment before he turned and rushed off into the crowd to retrieve the mask for him. While Shinzu was gone Zuko stood there deep in thought about the sudden wave of shame he felt at not having fought to try and save those men. He had been challenged to an Agni Kai for speaking out of turning over the issue, but then he had refused to fight when he had realized that his father was his opponent. Zuko had dishonored the 41st division with his cowardice. Those men died because of the teenager. His banishment was well deserved.

While Zuko waited, Lee Chen walked over wearing his own mask, and asked, “I thought the point in going to separate stalls was that we would both buy masks? Where is yours?”

“Someone who lives in this village wants to lend me their brother’s mask… He was a part of the 41st Division… I… I said I’d be honored to wear the mask. He should be back shortly.”

And it wasn’t long before Shinzu returned with the blue mask to his prince. For a brief moment, Zuko had thought that he was looking at his blue spirit mask, but it was only eerily similar, and he thanked the man and asked, "How will I find you to return your brother's mask once its time for me to return to my ship?"

"It is a gift, my prince. There is no need to return it. I would be dishonored if you were to refuse. It's what my brother would have wanted." And with that Shinzu disappeared into the crowd. 

After glancing around them, checking if anyone from his ship was looking their way and finding that no one was, Zuko slipped on the mask, and took Lee Chen’s hand and disappeared into the crowded streets of the festival. The mask smelt odd. There was a sharp odder that Zuko couldn’t quite place. The mask had been in storage for some time now, so the odd scent was likely to be the musty smell that improperly stored items tended to have.

The scent now out of mind, Zuko led his date through the streets until they stumbled upon a puppet show. Seeing as it was still early in the evening, there wasn’t much else to do than that, as the more mature entertainment wasn’t to start for another hour. The pair sat down on a bench in the back, as to be able to talk without disrupting the silly little show with their whispering back and forth. Flirting and whispered jokes. Hands still intertwined in a way that warmed Zuko from the inside with that same fuzzy feeling he had come to realize was infatuation for the other man.

Given enough time, Zuko was sure that he would come to love Lee Chen.

“Hey what’s your favorite color, babe? I want to get you a gift.” The brown-eyed private asked out of nowhere.

“Blue…” Zuko replied, feeling awkward about the honesty of his answer. “It makes me think of my mom… I miss her, and she would take me to see Love Amongst The Dragons every year on Ember Island, and she gave me a replica of the dark water spirit mask from the play. The color blue reminds me of water, and sitting with her next to the turtle duck pond back home… What about you? What’s your favorite color?”

“Gold, like your eyes.”

“You’re a hopeless romantic.”

“And you’re a sentimental beauty.”

Zuko was blushing faintly behind his mask, as he added, “Turtle ducks remind me of her as well… That’s why I won’t eat them.”

Lee Chen went silent for a moment before nervously saying, “I think I misstepped then… I went to a tavern at a Fire Navy port we docked at about a year ago, before I knew what a great person you are, and was complaining about how spoiled you were and may have mentioned the whole you refusing to eat turtle duck meat… I think one of Zhao’s men overheard me and that’s why Zhao kept stocking the ship with turtle ducks… I didn’t know. I’m so sorry-”

But Zuko quickly cut him off, “If it wasn’t for that, then I would have never started going hunting and I would have never met my friend the wolf. So, in the end, it turned out to be a good thing.” 

Did Zuko want to tell his boyfriend how much the turtle duck meat had driven him insane? Yes, but if he wanted to be with the private long enough to know what falling in love was like, then he had to let it slide and look at the silver lining. Because when he thought about it, there were a lot of bad things and good things in life, and they made a sliver linking sandwich when he stopped to think about it, and he now chose to take a bite of that sandwich. Okay, that metaphor was really stupid, but it made sense in his head. “There is a way you can make it up to me though…”

“Oh, and what’s that?” He could hear Lee Chen’s flirty smile practically.

“Tell me about yourself. I know practically nothing.”

“Deal.” The man answered. “So, you already know that The Dragon’s Claw is the first and only ship I’ve ever served on, right? Well… There is a reason for that. I use to work at a brothel in one of the colonies, and one of my clients was the wife of a naval commander. He caught us in bed together and tried to kill me. So I fled and while running from him took refuge in a Fire Navy Recruitment Office. So I had to make it look like I meant to be there, and, well, I enlisted…

“When I finished basic training I got assigned to that same commander’s ship, but he didn’t want me serving on his ship and there was suddenly a call for undesirables to serve on The Dragon’s Claw, so he had me reassigned. And you know how the rest went down from there.”

Zuko didn’t mean to laugh, but he did. He couldn’t help it because “That means I’ve thrown up on two prostitutes after outing myself as gay!” That disrupted the puppet show and they were _kindly encouraged_ to leave.

A few minutes later as they were wandering about trying to find something to entertain themselves, Zuko felt somehow wrong. A weakness creeping into his veins.

“Hey, I’m not feeling so hot…” Zuko said. “Can we go get something to eat?”

Anything for you, babe.”

Following that Zuko and Lee Chen were finally able to begin enjoying their festival date, and Lee Chen insisted on buying the flakes for him, which made Zuko blush a deep scarlet under his mask. After the boyfriends had walked away from the stand, three teenagers approached the vendor to buy their own hot flakes. The banished prince paid them no mind however, as he pushed up his mask high enough to toss a handful of spicy cornflakes into his mouth. They were just as wonderful as he remembered, and it didn't take him long to finish them off.

He did feel a touch better now that he'd eaten something, and he told his date as much thanking him with a quick kiss on the lips, but not long after he'd tossed the empty pouch and returning his mask to its proper position on his face, that sluggish feeling began to return and worsen. He began to wonder if he perhaps should return to the ship, but then there was a commotion followed quickly after by an explosion, and suddenly out of nowhere he felt like his head was spinning, and someone was guiding him away from the crowd and away from his distracted date. The teen looked up to see who it was, and was met with the mask of Shinzu.

"What…" He slurred, confused at the tense way the man held himself. Like Zuko was a dangerous animal that might attack at the slightest provocation.

"I'm sorry, my prince. I am just following orders. I would not do this to you voluntarily."

And then Zuko was being shoved into a different man. A man Zuko knew the instant those arms wrapped around his waist.

"ZHAO! Release me this instant!" The teen slurred in horrified anger as the pieces began coming together.

"No, not when I've finally succeeded in subduing you, Prince Zuko." The worm slug chuckled darkly. "Not when I finally get to add more of your delicious screams to my memories. Not when you are helpless to stop what I am about to do to you."

"The mask…" Zuko realized with a groan as Zhao dragged him away from the town and into the forest. "You coated the mask in something, and I absorbed it through my skin."

"Correct, Prince Zuko." The Admiral confirmed as the teen struggled weakly against his hold. "It is serving to relax your muscles to such an existent that you should find their use to be borderline nonexistent. It works so well, that I won't even need to prepare you when I finally take you, and best of all, your chi paths are being disrupted, so you can't try any of your little fire bending tricks." Then, after a pause, Zhao sneered, "Looks like I win the game of cat owl and badger mouse that we've been playing."


End file.
